Aug 27, 2026

Moving to Orlando With a Dog: The First 30 Days

One legal requirement and a lot of optional items that decide what happens when something goes wrong. The Orlando move-in list, week by week, with the Florida adjustments most arrivals miss.

Anant ShastriTelling stories through PetCompass

Orlando, Florida11 min readGetting There

Orange County asks one thing of you as a dog owner. Everything else on this list is optional, and every optional item changes what happens when something goes wrong.

That is an unusual shape for a move-in guide, and it is the honest one. From Orange County Animal Services, answering a question from someone in exactly your position: "There is no pet registration mandated in our area. The rabies vaccination is required for pets four months and older." And: "There is no pet limit in Orange County."

No form to fill in. No permit to buy. No sterilisation requirement, no compulsory microchip, no cap on how many dogs live in the house.

So this guide is mostly about the things nobody will make you do.

Week one: the one requirement and three that are not

Rabies current, tag on the collar. The only legal requirement, and it is also a state one: Florida law requires dogs, cats and ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies. If your dog's vaccination is due within a few months, get it done before the move rather than after, while you still have your old vet's records to hand.

There is a second reason that is specific to Florida and worth internalising now. If your dog is ever exposed to wildlife, Orange County publishes a quarantine of 45 days if the rabies vaccination is current and 180 days if it is not. Same dog, same incident. Our pet health and vaccination tracker is a place to keep the renewal date somewhere you will actually see it.

Update the microchip registry. Not required. Do it before you unpack.

Animal Services publishes the return rates: "pets without microchips were returned to their owners 21.9 percent of the time, while microchipped pets were returned 52.2 percent of the time." Those are the county's figures. And the sentence that matters most, verbatim from its microchipping page: the chip number "must be registered in the pet owner's name and changed when the owner moves or gets a new phone number."

You are moving. That is the trigger. A chip registered to your old address and old number scans to a dead end. Our guide to microchipping your pet covers what registration actually involves.

Get a collar tag with a number you answer. Not required. Adds two days to the shelter's hold on your dog if it gets out: five calendar days for a dog with identification against three for a dog without, per the reclaims page.

Save 311. It is the single number for every domestic animal issue in Orange County: a loose dog, a bite, a welfare concern, an injured stray. Not the shelter's line, and not a City of Orlando number.

The thing to understand about who is in charge

Orlando does not run its own animal control. Orange County does, including inside city limits.

Animal Services describes itself as an organisation that "enforces the Orange County Code to protect both citizens and animals", and it operates the county's only open admission shelter at 2769 Conroy Road, Orlando, on (407) 836-3111.

Here is who to go to for what, and the number where this guide names one.

What you need	Who to go to
An animal rule or its enforcement	Orange County Animal Services
To report any domestic animal issue	The county call centre, on 311
The shelter, adoptions and reclaims	Orange County Animal Services, on (407) 836-3111
Dog park hours	Orange County Parks and Recreation, on (407) 836-6200
Park and lake rules inside the city	City of Orlando

So when you search for a dog rule here, search Orange County rather than City of Orlando. That one habit will save you a lot of wrong answers. The city writes park rules; the county writes animal rules; and a third body, Orange County Parks and Recreation, runs the dog parks with its own rulebook again.

Week two: find your vet, and find the one you will need at 3am

Two separate jobs.

A regular vet. Animal Services is direct that it will not be yours: "Our veterinary services are limited to our shelter pets and we do not currently offer any services to the public." Its own advice, verbatim: "It is essential that your pet receives an annual checkup and that you have a doctor you trust should your pet ever experience a medical emergency." For low-cost options it points people to the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando; we name that only because Animal Services does. Our notes on how to choose a veterinarian cover the questions.

An after-hours plan. Good news here. Orlando has the strongest overnight veterinary picture of any city in this series, with five hospitals publishing 24-hour hours on their own websites: four Veterinary Emergency Clinic of Central Florida locations on (407) 644-4449, one of them at 11011 Lake Underhill Rd in Orlando, plus VEG Winter Park at 1490 W Fairbanks Ave.

Put the numbers in your phone in week two, not in month six. Our emergency vet, what to know explainer is worth a read while nothing is wrong.

Ask your new vet two questions at the first appointment. Where do you send patients overnight, and what do you recommend for the side of town I am on. Write the answers down.

Week two, also: the Florida adjustments

Three things that differ if you have moved from a cooler state.

The wildlife interface is year round and larger than you think. Animal Services lists Florida's common rabies carriers as raccoons, bats, coyotes, otters, bobcats, skunks, mongooses, cats and dogs. Its prevention advice includes three habits worth adopting on day one: "Do not leave pet food outdoors", "Always secure and cover your trash cans", and "Prevent bats from entering your home."

Outdoor cats are the domestic animal most often found rabid in this state. Verbatim: "Outdoor cats are the most common domestic animals found with rabies in Florida, largely due to lapses in vaccination." Which is a reason to keep your own cat in and to keep your dog away from unfamiliar ones.

Stay out of the lakes. The City of Orlando's park rules state: "Pets are not allowed in city lakes unless posted as an authorized lake for swimming." Swimming is prohibited for people too, except where posted. Treat that as a hard rule rather than a caution.

Week three: hurricane season, whatever month you arrive

Orlando is inland and it still needs a plan. Orange County Animal Services opens its disaster preparedness page with: "Start today, not when disaster strikes."

Know that you cannot pick your shelter in advance. Verbatim: "Orange County Government offers four pet-friendly shelters. Locations will be announced by the Office of Emergency Management as storms approach."

Know which shelters will turn you away. Verbatim: "Pets are not permitted in Red Cross shelters (except for working dogs for people with special needs)."

Book destinations in advance. The county names pet-friendly hotels as an option, and those rooms disappear within hours of a named storm. Confirm two or three, at different distances, and keep the numbers on paper. Our list of questions to ask before booking a pet-friendly hotel is the script.

Assemble the kit. The county's list includes pet health records, "Current picture of pet with name, address and phone numbers", a collar and leash, "An extra identification tag", and treats and a toy in sandwich bags, all in a one gallon zipper bag. Store it, verbatim, "in an accessible location in the event that someone else has to handle transport for the pet(s)."

Name the person who is not you. Verbatim: "Have a designated person who can transport pets in the case of an emergency." Storms do not wait for you to be home. Give them a key and tell them where the kit is.

Our pet emergency preparedness checklist covers the general version, and our emergency pet info card is the page to slide into the bag.

Week four: work out where you will walk

This is the good news part of moving here.

Thirteen county dog parks, with published addresses. Orange County Parks lists them all on its dog parks page, ten of them with Orlando addresses. Barber Park at 3701 Gatlin Ave, Barnett Park at 4801 W Colonial Dr, Cypress Grove at 290 Holden Ave and so on. No fee, permit or vaccination proof is mentioned anywhere on the page, though nor is it explicitly stated to be free.

Two of them have extra kit. Verbatim: "both West Orange Dog Park and Downey Dog Park have a play area for small dogs, a time out area, water fountains and poop stations."

City parks have fenced off-leash areas too. Park of the Americas lists separate large and small dog areas with hours of 07:00 AM to 09:00 PM; Lake Druid Park lists a fenced dog run.

Learn the dog park rules before your first visit. The county requires you to stay inside the fence in voice command range, carry a leash at all times, and bring no food of any kind. Dogs in heat and sick dogs are prohibited. Our dog park etiquette guide covers the rest, and how to leash train a dog covers the groundwork that makes a recall work without treats.

No published hours for the county parks, so call (407) 836-6200 before a long drive.

If you are renting

Orange County imposes no pet limit and no registration, which means the constraints you meet will be your landlord's rather than the county's. Weight limits, breed restrictions, pet rent and deposits are all private terms here.

Our guides to how to find a pet-inclusive apartment, questions to ask a landlord about pets and pet deposits cover what to ask and what is normal. Our explainer on pet-inclusive versus pet-friendly is worth ten minutes before you sign anything.

If there is a gap between arriving and moving in, our roundup of pet-friendly hotels in Orlando is the starting point, and our moving with a pet checklist covers the move itself.

If you are thinking of adopting once you land

Orange County Animal Services charges $80 for a dog and $50 for a cat, operates first come first served, and microchips every animal it adopts out. Adoption hours run Sunday to Tuesday 10am to 6pm, Wednesday 2pm to 6pm, and Thursday to Saturday 10am to 6pm.

One thing to set expectations on, verbatim from its FAQ: "the majority of dogs coming into the shelter are adult, large breed dogs", and small dogs and puppies face "fierce competition". If you are open to an adult large dog, this is an excellent place to adopt one.

The 30-day list, condensed

Day one. Microchip registry updated with the new address and a working number. 311 saved.

Week one. Rabies confirmed current, tag on the collar. Collar tag with your phone number engraved.

Week two. Regular vet found. Emergency numbers saved, (407) 644-4449 among them. Florida habits adopted: food bowls in at night, bins secured, out of the lakes.

Week three. Hurricane kit assembled and stored where someone else can find it. Two evacuation destinations confirmed. Designated transporter named and given a key.

Week four. Nearest dog parks identified and (407) 836-6200 called about hours. First visit made without treats in your pocket.

Ongoing. Rabies renewed on time, every time. It is the county's only requirement and it is the difference between 45 days and 180.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register my dog when I move to Orlando? No. Orange County Animal Services states there is no pet registration mandated in the area. The rabies vaccination is required for pets four months and older.

Is there a pet limit in Orange County? No. Animal Services states there is no pet limit in Orange County.

Who handles animal control in Orlando? Orange County Animal Services, which enforces the Orange County Code across the county including inside city limits, and runs the shelter at 2769 Conroy Road.

What number do I call about a dog in Orlando? 311 for any domestic animal issue. 911 for a crime in progress. (407) 836-3111 is the shelter, for adoptions and reclaims rather than complaints.

Should I microchip my dog in Orange County? It is not required to own a pet, but Animal Services publishes a 52.2 percent return rate for microchipped pets against 21.9 percent without, and a chip extends the shelter's hold on your dog from three days to five.

Are there dog parks in Orlando? Yes. Orange County publishes thirteen with street addresses, ten of them with Orlando addresses, and the City of Orlando runs fenced off-leash areas including Park of the Americas and Lake Druid Park.

Sources

Requirements and fees change. Confirm with Orange County Animal Services on 311.